Monday Matters!

-My craving for a sweaty run was fulfilled this morning on the treadmill. And my new shoes (I’m trying out the Launch 3s from Brooks, they come out on 1/1/16 and I’ll be buying a few more because I love them already so much) are making my feet/shins feel like heaven… it has been some time since they last felt this good! I don’t think my body is up for an ounce of speed yet but the nice and easy paces are feeling just where my body wants to be. Today’s music was brought to me by Taking Back Sunday (took me back to my high school concert days) and the entertainment was reading random running articles on my iPad.

-I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that my sister went from being told she will NEVER run again to finding an awesome doctor that did the best back surgery ever to her running 6 miles non-stop now. Hallelujah.

-I think Brooke is over going Christmas shopping.

-TRADER JOE’S… you’ve got to stop it. Every treat you make is too good and I end up leaving your store with more treats than non-treats.

-My brother dressed up as Han Solo for the Star Wars movie. We are going tonight… I CAN’T WAIT!!!!

-Speaking of my brother, he just sent this to me. He nailed it. ALSO, he is looking for a less expensive wireless headphones (so, cheaper than Jaybird) recommendation? Can anyone help him out with this one?

-Our road trip snacks from this weekend. I didn’t come near the Takis but the other two… the best gas station treats currently.

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57 comments

Enjoy Star Wars! It was such a good movie!
I am so happy to hear your sister is running again and recovering well!
Nuts, apples, and bell peppers are my favorite road trip snacks. Every once and a while I get something chocolate but then I always eat too much of it.

Thanks for the link! PLEASE take my dog. She literally might be insane, I think you’d give her back within the week!

I love everything about this post especially the new Launch! Still looking to get my hands on a pair. I’m so happy for your sister, too and about died at the Takis. Have you seen the kid’s rap video about Hot Cheetos and Taki? If not look it up it’s fantastic.

I used to be a school dietitian and dang, I really miss the holidays! I usually had at least a solid week off from work and I didn’t have to use my vacation time. I work in a hospital now and we work through the holidays. I’m headed to Trader Joe’s in a little bit and I am super excited about all of their holiday items!! I really like their peppermint green tea.

I got Mpow head phones for my birthday. It took a few tries to get the right fit and get used to them but I love them now. They are wireless and they have a few different styles to choose from. I think they were only around $20-30 and I think you can also find them on Amazon.

My husband ordered a Christmas gift for me online but he never changes the email and the confirmation and shipping info comes to me. I didn’t look to see what he ordered, just forwarded him the shipping confirmation.

Your road trip snacks are on point. Sub the Takis out for Funyuns, and those are my must-haves! You are so right about TJ’s…I’ve gotten to where I can’t even go there because I get like, apples and forty-three kinds of cookies and chips.

I teach, and Friday was our last day for two weeks. Enjoyed the ballet and lunch out today!

Hey Mallory! I am so sorry that you are sick and I hope you get better asap! Enjoy the break, that is awesome:) I haven’t worn the ghosts for years and years but I’ll have to try out the 8s! I hope you love them!

Mallory

I took a whole week off work, and I’m spending it with my parents, sisters, and nieces/nephews. It’ll be a ton of fun, but I left my boyfriend behind in Salt Lake City, so I miss him. Oh well… can’t have it all, I guess.

I so cannot wait for the Launch 3s! The 2s are my favorite and I made sure to buy an extra pair before the update. Those sneaks are my soul.mate.
I was happy to run for the first time in almost a week today…then found that my IT Band pain wasn’t cured by rest. Womp womp. Have fun at Star Wars! It is incredible!

That is awesome that you sister was able to run 6 miles nonstop! Good for her for never giving up!

I was able to finish all of my holiday shopping today. Nothing like running last minute errands all over town. Plus, it is snowing like crazy here which makes driving a lot slower. I didn’t mind though. I sipped hot cocoa and turned up the Christmas music! :)

I get three weeks off for the holidays, which is really nice. My son is almost 4 months old, so I appreciate the extra time with him and not having to worry about work!

Have fun at Star Wars!!! Hopefully I will get to see it sometime next week!

Sam

Hi Janae! Glad you had such an awesome run. Random question for you – how do you meet the guys you go out with? I ask because you seem to have such great luck and I am trying to get back into the dating world myself :) No worries if it’s too personal to answer!

Dawn

Brooke is at such a perfect age to really enjoy Christmas. Have fun!
I took off the 23-28th from both my jobs! I was so nervous that it would not be approved. I have not been away in over a year due to work but I am super excited to get out of state and out on the lake for vacation!! I have Larabars, dried fruit, cashews and water packed for the 6 hour trip.

My kids have one more day of school before their winter break. Then they have to go back one day early. Most of the school districts here closed for the World Series Champions parade when the Royals won it last month. So 800K of us showed up for it! Now the kids have to make up the day off.

This year it’s the girls’ dad’s Christmas holiday (I had them for Thanksgiving), but he’s not picking them up until 11 AM Christmas morning. They will be gone for the weekend and then back on Sunday. They are both in high school now and busier here (he lives a good 45-50 minutes away). They prefer shorter, less frequent visits with him.

Confession: I have never seen an entire Star Wars movie.

Dabielle

Mpow Cheetah 4.1 Wireless headphones are the best deal for their price! I have been using mine for 6 months nearly every day and I love them. I ran my last marathon with them too and they worked perfectly. They never budge and the sound quality is really good!

Sarah

I love the Brooks Launch! I use to have really bad heel pain but after some doctor visits and a switch to the Launch (and proper stretching and taking care of myself), I haven’t had any issues since. They are my everything when it comes to running shoes! Excited to try the 3s when they come out! I hope they are working out for you.

Your brother’s costume is spot on. I hope you enjoy the movie. We saw it Friday and loved it. We had free tickets from our dentist for a show tonight, but I did not want to find another babysitter for Felicity so just Ross and Evan went. Annabelle, Felicity and I are currently watching Anne of Green Gables. Just about the most opposite of movies there ever were.

Karrie

These wireless headphones got some pretty good reviews on Amazon. My fiance got some a while back but he stopped using them because they don’t have the adjustable strap like the Jaybirds and they kept hitting the back of his neck. He said that was the only negative thing about them.
We had our cake and food tasting for our wedding tonight and now we are stuffed and still undecided on what we want because we loved everything….
I get the whole week after Christmas off and I’m so excited to get some morning runs in instead of having to run/workout after work.
My favorite road trip snack is usually whatever chips I’m in the mood for and frosted animal crackers!

Grant

So glad to hear about your sister! And Brooke is ROCKING that hat. And you gotta try Takis, they’re the best salty gas station snack.

My Monday matter is that I’ve just started my marathon taper and I’m really struggling with unconfidence… I’m trying to trust my training, but the “What am I doing what if I’m not ready what if tapering destroys my running ability” thoughts are creeping in…

My fav road trip meal (I don’t usually snack on road trips…lol) is bagels. I don’t know why but they taste better when eaten in a car ;)
If anybody gets the chance it would be great if you could check out my blog: https://sweetpotatoesrunner.wordpress.com

So awesome that your sister is running again! Way to show those doctors ;-)
We get my step son for the second half of his break and for New Years this year. We swap in 2016 then and get his for Christmas. He lives 2 hours away so this is just what works best so he doesn’t have to spend the whole day in the car.
Favorite road tri snacks would be trail mix, gummy bears and gas station soda. It just tastes better, right?

Jeanette in CA

Just wanted to say how happy I am for your sister to be running again. She must be elated, as you, I imagine. It will be an extra special Christmas run for you guys this year. ;) Still not running here, started PT 3 weeks ago. I am looking at a month or two until I can test the waters again. In the meantime I am focusing my energy on strength training. I know my time will come again. This downtime has given me a lot of time to ponder the changes I need to make in my training. More “maintenance runs” and cross training is what I need and lots of easy miles. ;)

Do you care to share your latest book recommendations? Future blog entry maybe? It will be a slow holiday season for me and I need to keep my mind occupied. I will be in the Bay Area (Los Gatos) for Christmas and some. Wish I could take you on some of my favorite runs there. :(

Thanks Janae and have a very Merry Christmas.

Melissa

They were $50 and so far, so good. They stayed in during my long jumprope sessions, sprints and general powerlifting workouts. The charge lasted a good 6 hours. I’d recommend them. Also, there are some really good reviews on Amazon.

Bron

My little girl is a bit younger than Brooke and totally in the Christmas spirit too this year – it’s so fun! Her birthday is on the 27th so she gets a double whammy of celebrations and presents :-) it’s the summer holidays over here and I’m a teacher so we just began our 8 week holiday break on the 8th Dec – would feel so weird only having a week off for Christmas after being used to a couple of months for years!! Have a lovely Christmas – I’m reading you for all the running inspiration I’ll need to get back at it once my baby is born in March xx

Abby

I have a wireless headphone suggestion! I love mine. RevJams Active Sport Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, you can get them from amazon, or I think groupon might have them right now for a little cheaper. They are about $20-$29. They are noise canceling and have an in-line microphone. You can control volume, skip/repeat songs all from the little box attached near the right earpiece. Just bought my mom them for Christmas too!

Jill

Road trip snacks are hit up the Tim’s drive thru and always have chips on hand for a salty treat.
My kids are with their dad Xmas eve and Christmas morning and I get the kids Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We switch every year. It works out bc we live so close.

Jenny

Janae, you are very lucky with your child-sharing arrangements (although I know it’s still not easy.) My good friend has two little girls and shares 50% custody with the father (at his insistence- she fought that but that’s the norm, at least here in Florida.) They trade off every other week. This is his week to have them but she gets them from 4 pm on Christmas Eve until noon on Christmas Day- then they go back to their Dad. It’s a difficult situation because I know she misses them terribly.

Loribeth

I work Christmas eve and Christmas, but only until noon………..we are closed Christmas day, but the penguins still need to eat! But I get to spend Christmas morning with penguins, not many folks can say that!

Plantronics Bluetooth earbuds! They are still KINDA pricey – Amazon has them for $65 (I JUST ordered myself a pair about 2 hours ago, lol) – but they are decent wireless earbuds that won’t break the bank. I had bought them for my Hus for his b-day this year because he started running and wanted a pair, and I tried them a few times and we both love them.
Since I was “the original runner” in our family, I don’t know why he got a pair first, but now I’m getting mine! LOL